


Into The Void

by CalamityJess



Series: Amelie Rose Trevelyan [4]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-08
Updated: 2015-05-08
Packaged: 2018-03-29 13:05:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3897400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalamityJess/pseuds/CalamityJess





	Into The Void

“What do you mean they’re gone?” Cullen demanded of the soldier with the misfortune of delivering news from Adamant Fortress.

“They fell…Ser. The causeway collapsed, and they fell. There’s no sign of them in the rubble, they just…vanished…Ser.” The shaken soldier answered.

“Five people did not just _vanish_ , Private! I want people down there. Form a search party!” Cullen ordered.

“We tried, Commander…it’s a bottomless void, we can’t get anyone down there,” Captain Rylen intervened.

This couldn’t be happening. They couldn’t be…she couldn’t be… _no, Maker, please no just let her come back, I swear I’ll do anything it takes to never let this happen again. ANYTHING, just please let them come back,_ Cullen prayed while trying to maintain his composure. This just wasn’t happening. He should have gone with her. Rylen could have led the men. He should have been there. They had to find them. He dismissed the men and headed toward the tents where Leliana and Scout Harding were looking over the plans they’d found for the fortress.

Thoughts of her smile, her laugh, her lips on his, the promise of something he hadn’t dared hope for himself until he met her plagued him as he made his way across the field.

“I have a suggestion, if you’re interested,” Solas’ voice interrupted his thoughts.

“I’ll take anything,” Cullen answered.

“Cole…if you’d agree to it, is willing to try and help,” Solas offered.

Cullen hadn’t considered the strange boy’s…skill. To be honest Cole made him uneasy. In this situation however, it might be their only hope so he agreed, and followed as Solas led him to where Cole was standing.

“Cole, tell Cullen what you told me if you would,” Solas requested.

“It’s all wrong, it isn’t the place she remembers from her harrowing, it’s too sharp and wet,” Cole said.

“I don’t understand,” Cullen said, impatience clinging to his words.

“She goes there in her dreams, but now it’s the nightmare..she has to remember to get out.” Cole added.

“Remember…what? What does she have to remember, and where is she?” Cullen asked, trying not to take out his frustration on the young man, spirit, whatever he was.

“I believe the Inquisitor used the mark to enter the fade, alive, taking her companions with her when the causeway fell. That’s why they can’t be found, but Cole can still ‘hear’ her,” Solas offered.

“I can hear Sera, too, but her words are hard…and pointy.” Cole added.

“So…she’s alive? They’re alive? How do we get them out?” Cullen asked.

“She has to remember; the nightmare doesn’t want her to. It is very loud, its words are sharp, stabbing, not true but could be and that scares her,” Cole said.

Either Cole was getting better at communicating, or Cullen was getting better at understanding him. But some of it made sense. It seemed all they could do was wait, and pray.

“What…is it saying to her?” Cullen asked.

* * *

 

“ _The Inquisitor, a mage of all things. Do you really think they won’t lock you back up when you’ve served your purpose? Everything you think you’ve gained…your freedom, respect, love. It’s all temporary. Cullen will throw you aside just like your family did. You didn’t really think he could love a mage did you?”_

“Nughumping bastard knows the right buttons doesn’t he, Rosie?” Varric said, trying his best to keep her from listening to the demon.

He’d been calling her Rosie since he discovered her middle name was Rose. Which led Sera to start calling her Posie, or Rosie Posie. In this situation, it helped little. But she’d take little.

The best she could offer in response was a snort and a smile for the Dwarf. She was exhausted, they all were, and the Nightmare had been taunting them relentlessly as they fought through its minions. It was bad enough being trapped in the fade, but add new memories she was trying to process, trying to keep Sera from panicking, and now having her old doubts dug back up and thrown at her and she was struggling.

“Cassandra, your Inquisitor is a fraud,” it continued.

“Die in the void, demon!” the Seeker threw back as she helped Amelie back to her feet and offered her support.

“Don’t listen to it, Inquisitor, it knows nothing. It’s simply trying to weaken us. The sooner it dies the sooner we can get out,” Cassandra said, leaving no room to question.

Amelie took Cassandra’s support to stand back up and asked, “But what if..”

“ _No,_ ” Cassandra stated, giving a look that told Amelie that she knew the question, and was very sure of the answer.

Somehow that one word was reassuring.

“Right, let’s kill this prick,” Sera added.

“With _pleasure_ ,” Amelie agreed as the group forged forward.

* * *

 

The cheer rippled from the courtyard of the fortress to the tents were Cullen stood waiting. You could mark the Inquisitor and her team’s progress by the sound of the cheering. When they finally arrived it was deafening. Yet, he could swear he still heard his heart pounding over it as she approached. She was alive, she was safe. He could breathe again. He watched as she stopped to speak to Cassandra, and then smiled as she headed his way.

When she finally got there, he wanted to hold her and refuse to let her go, but instead he led her to the tent they’d set up for her away from the main camp. Once they were inside however, all bets were off.

“Are you ok?” he asked, realizing the moment he said it how silly that question was.

“Better now,” Amelie murmured into his chest.

Cullen pulled back just enough to tilt her face up to where he could see it. She offered him a weak smile, exhaustion weighing on her. She needed rest, as much as he wanted to ask her a million questions, he settled for the basics.

“Are you hurt?” He asked.

“No, just…” she began before her knees buckled slightly.

“Exhausted. You need rest,” Cullen finished for her while easing her coat off her shoulders and guiding her towards a cot which she settled quickly into.

“Cullen? Don’t leave,” Amelie asked, in barely a whisper.

“I’m not going _anywhere,_ ” he replied, putting his cloak over her.

She grabbed his hand and said, “No, I mean..”

“I know…”

“Oh…good,” she answered as she drifted off still holding his hand.

Some time later, Cole’s head poked through the tent’s flap.

“I helped?” he asked Cullen quietly.

Cullen nodded and answered, “Yes, Cole, you helped. Thank you.”

“I’m glad,” Cole answered, and left the two alone.

Cullen looked at his Inquisitor. “Me too,” he whispered. “Me too.”


End file.
